Skid steer loaders are compact vehicles useful on farms and construction sites to maneuver in tight spaces and transport heavy or bulky items. Typical skid steer loaders include a boom that can be raised and lowered and a bucket attached to the end of the boom whereby items can be lifted off the ground, transported, and placed back on the ground or dumped into a receptacle with high walls, such as a dump truck. The skid steer loaders are generally considered to have either a radial lift load-arm, in which the boom has a single pivot point, or a vertical lift load-arm, in which a four-bar linkage is used to raise and lower the boom.
Operators want to be able to service their skid steer loader easily. The operator compartment of a skid steer loader typically pivots on the frame to reveal engine components for servicing. Four-bar linkage designs generally provide a linkage that is coupled to the operator compartment, complicating the pivoting of the operator compartment and making access to engine components difficult.
In addition, operators need to have a good view of their surroundings when the boom is in the down position. Radial lift skid steer loaders generally obstruct the operator's view, thereby creating potential safety concerns.
It would, therefore, be beneficial to have a skid steer loader which allows the operator compartment to be opened for improved service access and which provides enhanced visibility for the operator when the boom is lowered for improved safety.